The proposed project seeks to expand the knowledge of appropriate and effective surveillance, prevention, and control strategies for implementing and managing diabetes care in Central America. It will facilitate the continuous assessment of diabetes risk factors and the prevalence of diabetes complications in the countries of Central America. Prior studies conducted by the principal investigator (CAMDI-1 and CAMDI-2), through which basic data on diabetes, related chronic diseases, related risk factors, quality of diabetes care, and capacity for diabetes care has been obtained in Central America, will be used as a foundation for action. The project's purpose is to enhance countries' capacity for public health research by developing sustainable, national surveillance systems for diabetes, and its related diseases and risk factors. The goals of the proposed project are: (1) to stimulate surveillance, epidemiology and economic studies related to diabetes and its related diseases and risk factors; and (2) to establish regional centers to coordinate multi-center studies, pilot test new approaches, and implement workshops / training courses for surveillance, epidemiologic and cost studies. In the first year of the proposed project, investigators will work to analyze, review, and summarize epidemiologic and surveillance data from Central America, working with existing databases created from the population-based surveys (during CAMDI-1), conducting a multi-center qualitative analysis to summarize the findings of focus groups carried out among health personnel and people with diabetes, and describing characteristics of the quality of diabetes care in each participating centers. Using this knowledge, investigators will establish a one-to-three-year plan to achieve the purpose and goals of the project. The proposed project directly supports the Mission of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is to lead strategic collaborative efforts among Member States and other partners to promote equity in health, to combat disease, and to improve the quality of, and lengthen, the lives of the peoples of the Americas. Relevance: The proposed research will enhance Central American countries' capacity to develop sustainable public health surveillance programs which will lead to new knowledge regarding the burden of diabetes in Central America; this knowledge will then be used in public health decision-making. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]